And some ranting on not-so-beautiful McMansions by architect Jerry Gropp on Rain City Guide. He’s a man of few but scathing words: “Mercer Island and a lot of other nice places are being overrun by “Spec Builders” madly producing these oversize boxes with their wide white trim. Other tell-tale touches of their indifferent computer-driven drafting (don’t call it “design”) are the tapered posts with pasted on faux river rock.”

We’ve talked Miller-Hull and Steinbruek, now let’s talk about another great Northwestern architect: Ralph Andersen. There are four of Ralph’s homes for sale on the Island– we can use the listing photos to look inside.

Island Point

This home still has the Ralph Andersen bones, but when the agent says it’s been “updated for today’s lifestyle” it’s true. It seems to have lost a bit of character in the remodel, but you can still see classic Andersen touches: the vaulted ceiling, tall windows in the door, and generous windows. And it’s pricey- $2.6 million.

Remodeled, but the door and hanging lamp give it away.

81st Ave

Classic Ralph Andersen exterior. He really knew how to make a house work with its surroundings. Bad photos on this one, so we can’t see much inside, but we can see it’s going for $1.95 million. For that money, I’d take better pictures.

At a used bookstore clearance sale in Capitol Hill I came across Seattle Cityscape(U of W press, 1962) by Victor Steibrueck, University of Washington architecture maven. “Through ink sketches and critical observations, the author seeks to portray and establish the unique character and color of Seattle’s physical environment.” Of course I bought it.

Two are houses on West Mercer Way. Here’s the first with the author’s comments:

West Mercer Way on Mercer Island is a showcase of well-designed residential architecture. One of the most pleasing is the home of Dr. and Mrs. Cyrus Rubin at 6105 Southeast Thirty-second Street, designed by architects Ibsen Nelson and Russel Sabin. It is a thoughtful and personal style of home, pleasantly landscaped, which speaks well for both architect and client. (p. 164)

And the second. I love how the folaige runs out of the frame of the picture.

Architect Paul Hayden Kirk designed this excellent comtemporary wooden house, located in the woods at 4157 West Mercer Way, for his brother, Blair Kirk. It show masterful spatial design and composition, and fine knowledge of wood construction as a design consideration, while confidently making the best of a natural setting. (p. 166)

“Old” in the context of Seattle history is somewhat a loaded term, as I discovered in a Pioneer Square old book shop when I asked for old maps of Seattle. “There aren’t really an old maps of Seattle,” the bookeeper said, “since the fist maps were made on Vancouver’s journey here in the 17oo’s.” I then listened patiently as he explained the history of European exploration of the Pacific Northwest, and then told me he had no maps. So I feel comfortable using “old” here in the PNW to refer to the 1960s. Apologies to my mother, who I don’t consider “old” but who is considerably older than the 1960s.